Texas Higher Education and Creation Research, Part 7

The Dallas Morning News has an editorial today that is partly about the ICR's application to offer Master's degrees in science education.

We hate to second-guess the three academic investigators – including Gloria White, managing director of the University of Texas at Austin's Dana Research Center for Mathematics and Science Education – but, still, the coordinating board had better give this case a long, hard look.

The board's job is to certify institutions as competent to teach science in Texas schools. Despite the institute including mainstream science in its programs, it's hard to see how a school that rejects so many fundamental principles of science can be trusted to produce teachers who faithfully teach the state's curriculum.

Emphasis added.

One thing I do find a little weird about some comments -- like the one above -- is the assumption that people who get Master's degree would (a) only be from Texas and (b) only teach in Texas. I've seen this idea in a couple of places. It overlooks that the ICR is proposing to offer online degrees (indeed, it apparently has exactly one classroom), and basically, within the U.S., accreditation is accreditation. There would probably be people from many places interested in getting an accredited Master's that legitimizes creationist beliefs as science. Likewise, I have no doubt that many people would be happy to take use an accredited degree to try to get teaching jobs in public schools outside Texas, even though teaching creationism is illegal in K-12 public schools across the U.S.